About the Pre-Raphaelites

The Pre-Raphaelites were formed secretly in 1848 by seven young artists, painters, critics, poets, and sculptors alike, who hoped to create a new British art. These artists were James Collinsin, William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Michael Rossetti, Frederic George Stephens, and Thomas Woolner. Dissatisfied with the contemporary academic art, the artists decided to emulate the art of the late middle ages, before the time of Raphael. This art was characterized by minute depiction of detail,vivid colors, and a subject matter of a noble, religious, or moralizing manner. During an era of political uprise, industrialization, and social struggles, the Pre-Raphaelites desired to spread an idea of artistic renewal and moral reform. Their ultimate quest was to find "truth in nature."